View full sizeThe sprinkler system extinguished the fire.Clackamas Fire District 1

An 11-year-old Milwaukie boy confessed to police that he intentionally set a fire Monday in a Linwood Elementary School restroom.

The boy, a student at the school, was participating in an after-school activity when he went into a boys' room, lit a piece of toilet paper and then used it to light a paper-towel dispenser. The fire caused an estimated $5,000 to $10,000 in damage, according to an updated estimate.

Police are sending their reports to the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office for evaluation by the county's juvenile department. The boy, whose name was not available, was not taken into custody.

The small, but smoky fire forced evacuation of the building, 11909 S.E. Linwood Ave., shortly after 4 p.m. All members of the school's faculty and staff, along with any remaining students, all left the building safely.

Brandon Paxton, Clackamas Fire District 1 spokesman, said arriving firefighters saw that the fire already had been extinguished by an overhead sprinkler triggered by the smoke and heat. The school's alarm system also worked properly, alerting those in the building of the fire.

Paxton urged anyone with more information about the fire to contact Milwaukie police at 503-786-7500.